The Honourable Marci Ien, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, issued the following statement today on the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women:
"December 6, 1989 is a day that shook Canadians to their core. On this day, 35 years ago, a gunman walked into a classroom at Polytechnique Montréal, separated the women from the men and opened fire on the women. Fourteen women lost their lives that day, and 13 more were wounded - simply because they were women.
Their names are Geneviève Bergeron, Hélène Colgan, Nathalie Croteau, Barbara Daigneault, Anne-Marie Edward, Maud Haviernick, Maryse Laganière, Maryse Leclair, Anne-Marie Lemay, Sonia Pelletier, Michèle Richard, Annie St-Arneault, Annie Turcotte and Barbara Klucznik-Widajewicz.
They were students, daughters, sisters, colleagues and friends - with talents and passions. Today we say their names and remember that the misogyny they faced is still a serious issue today. Just last year, 187 women were victims of gender-related homicides in Canada - that is one woman every two days. Too many lives are lost and too many people continue to experience gender-based violence in our country.
It is crucial to involve everyone in Canada - including men and boys - in changing social norms, attitudes and behaviours that contribute to gender-based violence.
